And God Calls

Grandpa Caldwell, who would have been 92 this March, passed away early this morning. Although Grandpa C suffered from the dehumanizing effects of Alzheimer's disease, we cherish the loving memories and life stories that were always sprinkled with a bit of humor. Thank you for all your continued prayers.

And the Weekend Comes and Goes...

Blake arrived home early enough Friday to pick up little brother from school just as his little brother requested. After some time together spending money at the skate shop and skateboarding in the driveway, the boys decided to go different directions for a little while, Austin to enjoy oysters with dad and Blake to dinner with mom and little sister. After a crowded dinner at the local Japanese steakhouse we were stopped in a line of traffic just in time to see the unmarked Obama bus caravan fly by. What excitement trying to figure out who the "special" person(s) were. Three buses and 15-20 police cars blew past us about like he (Obama) blew through the SC Democratic Primary the next day. So those of you that say nothing happens in Florence.....guess what....it sometimes does (not that this was so impressing but hey....we did see it, completely by accident). Saturday we caught up on house work and relaxed. We decided that Sunday we needed to drive to Hickory, NC to see Grandpa C. The trip was very worthwhile even if for such a short visit, it also gave us time to study spelling words in between some pretty deep conversations.

Blake left earlier this morning for his last week of his interim class....Yoga. Ummmm........Thank you Blake for the visit. It is always good to see you!

He's Back!

Blake has returned home for a long weekend with skateboard in tow. Apparently Austin's pastime has attracted Blake's attention creating an odd teacher/student relationship. Although I do not promote the hobby of skateboarding.....it is really neat to see siblings eager to see each other and learn from each other. As quickly as Blake returned, Austin and Stan left for an Oyster Roast. After returning home we all inquired on how the oysters were, Stan thought for a moment and stated..."I'm not really sure, I opened a bunch but don't really remember eating any" - this was because for every oyster Stan opened Austin would eat it while Stan was talking and easily distracted. Never knew how much my boys loved oysters....

Happy Birthday Jeff!

Happy Birthday to our dear friend Jeff Taylor! Thank goodness he leads the way and shows us that each year just gets better and better. We are thankful to have such a great friend and fearless leader. (to bad I don't have some of those great pictures we saw the other weekend to post....LOL)

We Voted!

We can talk politics because we voted. In SC you really have so much to think about in order to cast your vote.....First, is the weather good or bad.....Two, do you feel like voting today......Three, do you want to vote Democrat or GOP (and of course they are on different days, different debate weeks)....Finally, which person do you think will do the best job......AND you can't say none of them. Even though the weather was awful our particular precinct had a great turnout. AND NO I am not telling you who we voted for!! Guess you already figured it was a Republican since we voted yesterday.....and the Dems don't vote until next Saturday. Do your homework and don't waste your vote!

He's Back.....

Blake surprised us with a visit home this weekend. Although I think he comes home to really see his friends here in Florence, it is nice to have all momma's peeps under one roof......safe and sound. Then as quickly as he appears, he is off again. Thanks for the visit Blake...we love you lots! AND UPDATE YOUR BLOG (please).....

Late Night!

A day later and we continue to hear all the exciting details of a wonderful spend the night...... from three basketball games in one night, playing late into the evening, running in the woods to riding in the boat. Thanks Carter for being a wonderful boat captain and creating a memorable boat ride on the little lake for two little girls.....

Grove Park Inn (Gingerbread Houses)

Make sure you see all three posts regarding our stay at the Grove Park Inn Resort and Spa. Awesome Place!

Here are a couple of the Gingerbread homes on display along the grand hallways. Each entry must be made with only material that is edible. The creativity was incredible.

Grand Prize Winner (above). Each brick was individually layed and the entire home took 600 hours to construct. Wish the picture showed just how awesome this was.
This was an entry in the teen category (received top 10).

Grove Park Inn Pics (Room Views)

18th Fairway (view from our room before the snow)
18th Fairway (same view while snow was falling)
Skyline view from our room

What a Wonderful Start to 2008!

Grove Park Inn Resort and Spa
Grove Park Inn (Fairway View)
Grove Park Inn Spa

The family (except Blake, who was to return to Wofford the next day) left early January 1st for North Carolina. After dropping the kids off with my in-laws for a brief stay while Stan and I continued our journey to Asheville, for a much needed relaxing getaway. Have I said that my hubby is so wonderful, he planned three days of pure relaxation at the Grove Park Inn Resort and Spa. Upon entering the Grand Old Hall around 4 p.m. we heard buzzing of possible snow at 8 p.m. (who has ever heard of an exact time for snow to fall). We checked in and proceeded to our 7th floor room in the Sammons Wing. We passed wonderful displays of handmade gingerbread houses lining the massive hallways, some made by youth, teens and adults. Our room view was spectacular, we overlooked the 17th green, the 18th tee box and fairway, the city skyline and the mountains. Once settled my first request for the trip was to see my Gram's grave site, so off we trekked to Enka about 15 minutes to the west. The wind was howling and darkness was falling but I quickly located the grave site, took my pictures and off we went. With the temperature dropping and the thoughts of snowfall at precisely 8 p.m., we decided to head back to the Resort but stopping first by the grocery store for snacks and a bottle of wine followed by a quick dinner. While leaving the restaurant, I noticed what stupid me thought was a possible bug turned out to be a snowflake at 7:59 p.m. (us sandlappers obviously don't see snow enough to recognize the difference promptly). We laughed at both the exact time of snow fall and my stupidity with seeing bugs in 29 degree weather. We returned to the Resort and settled in for the evening. Waking early the next morning to see just how much snow mother nature had left over night, we quickly sent pictures to all the kids and my work to share the beauty. We enjoyed the winter wonderland views and ended the day at Elaine's Dueling Piano Bar singing and laughing the night away. Now Thursday was the highlight of the trip, an all day retreat at the Spa which is recognized as the premier Spa in the Southeast. I have never been pampered so much in my life. Stan was treated to an 80 minute reflexology message and me an 80 minute Grove Park custom message, upon finishing we relaxed with warm clover scented shoulder drapes in front of one of the many fireplaces sipping herbal teas and water. We finally left the fireplace to explore the dramatic indoor waterfalls, mineral pools and contrast pools before having a 3 o'clock lunch at the Spa Cafe'. Stan and I drug each other like two drunken cootes back to our room where we collapsed from sheer relaxation. We were mush and it was wonderful! We regained our ability to move and headed to dinner at The Blue Ridge (located in the Grove Park Inn overlooking the Asheville skyline) before enjoying another evening at Elaine's Dueling Piano Bar also located in the Grove Park Inn. I just love a resort will all amenities located on site. Thank you Stan for taking such good care of me and I will be more than happy to return to the Grove Park Inn for our golf day since we had to cancel due to snow....if we can enjoy the spa again.

Welcome 2008!

May all be blessed with success, happiness and good health in the New Year!